Looking through the telescope at the constellation Orion
Date Night in our home does not come as often as it once did. At one point, Paul and I used to have a monthly date night. I still remember one date night before we had children where we went grocery shopping.
Yes, it had been a long week, and Paul willingly joined me aisle by aisle grocery shopping. We had a great time just spending time together and getting food to restock our apartment.
Honestly, our date nights are few and far between because we forget to plan them. Finding a time that works for Grandpa and Grandma and fits within our schedule with an activity to enjoy takes time to organize. I never regret date nights when we have them, but I don’t always remember to plan. (Guess I need to add that to my calendar as well. 🙂 )
Dinner Savings
Last night, Paul and I invited our two older children to join us on our Date Night. With Grandpa and Grandma watching our preschooler, we enjoyed dinner at Olive Garden with this coupon (expiring on 3.21.13) for a free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entrée.
The coupon limit is two free kids’ meals with the purchase of two adult entrees per coupon. With Paul and me selecting the 2 for $25 Italian dinner promotion, we received an appetizer, salad for the children and I, soup for Paul, breadsticks, 2 kids’ meals, and 2 adult entrees for less than $40 with gratuity.
Show Savings
With full tummies, we left the restaurant and headed for our local science center. Upon creating our own parking space, we walked to the planetarium for the evening performances. Using our science membership, we gained free admission to the show which included:
- Feature presentation about how near-Earth asteroids are explored
- Live sky talk including how to locate the different constellations partially visible in the night sky
- Digital Mars roller coaster “ride”
- Visit to the observatory with very large and powerful telescopes focused on the constellation Orion, the planet Jupiter, and our moon
Our daughter’s favorite event of the night was the Mars roller coaster though she felt a bit dizzy at the conclusion. The presentation gave the illusion you were on the coaster though we were not actually moving.
Seeing the rings on Jupiter via the telescope fascinated our son which was his favorite part of the evening. For Paul and I, we enjoyed the time with each other and our children.
By using our annual membership on the show, we enjoyed a fun-filled evening spending less than $10 per person for a dinner and a show. Had we chosen to eat dinner at home, we could have enjoyed our family night for free.
In stretching our dollars and building relationships, we chose a dinner and a show allowing our children to join us on our special date night. Though both children had a great time during our 4 hours together, they prefer spending that time with Grandpa and Grandma. Yay! Paul and I still get to enjoy our date nights alone – as long as we remember to plan them. 😉
Keep stretching your dollars as you enjoy fun family activities. Though no money needs to be spent on family night, you can enjoy a nice dinner with a show without paying full price. Happy saving while using time wisely!
NOTE: This post was not written to encourage elaborate family nights, but rather to show how to use the resources you have to create a fun evening staying within your family budget. Without our science membership, we would not have visited the planetarium or observatory. 🙂
Question: What strategies do you use for saving on family night activities?